Tourettes is a surreal condition to live with – anything can become a tic, including stuff I’m not even conscious of knowing. For example, I had no idea that Keith Duffy is allergic to peanuts or what a marmoset is until my tics started talking about them.…

A few years ago an article was published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) about the relationship between social media and increased instances of tics. I had significant concerns about the article which I wrote about here. I ended that post by saying:

“I understand the impulse for clinicians to theorise and share ideas with others, but I’d also ask that this be done with care… Clinicians’ opinions often hold a lot of weight so I ask them to be aware of this and be thoughtful about how their views might impact people’s lives.”…

We’re just a day away from Christmas, a time that in addition to an abundance of fairy lights and Santa hats, can also be full of apprehension and pressure. For disabled, neurodivergent or chronically ill people this season can have extra complexities whether they’re around managing energy, social interactions, dietary requirements, navigating access barriers or coping with the many depictions of ‘Tiny Tim’!…

I’ve had a new tic for the last few weeks. It’s frequent and consistent and leading to lots of conversations, some intense, some interesting, and some challenging.

This new tic is: “Long live Palestine, long live Gaza.”

This is a tic.…

Today is my twelfth ‘Fitiversary’ – twelve years ago today I woke up moving about frantically and uncontrollably. I’d lost voluntary speech and was experiencing painful dystonic tics which twisted my body. These episodes had been happening on and off for a while and I’d initially referred to them as the ‘dying fish’, but twelve years ago they became a much more regular part of my life.…

We’re back in London after the first week of touring Burnt Out In Biscuit Land. We came back through central London which is already heaving with flags for the coronation next week.

I read an article about the pledge of allegiance that will form part of the coronation ceremony.…

As I was drifting off to sleep last night, my tics were having their regular chat with the lamp-post outside my window. But unusually, rather than telling it off, they were asking it for wisdom. This got me thinking about the lamp-post as a lifestyle guru.…

One of the mysterious things about Tourettes is why certain words or noises become vocal tics. Anything I’ve ever known can become a tic, even things I’m not consciously aware of have turned up – I had to google: Alan Hanson, marmoset and whether Keith Duffy was allergic to peanuts.…

It was World Book Day a couple of weeks ago and primary school children across the land dressed up as their favourite characters, to celebrate the power of stories. This got me thinking about the books I loved as a child, and the stories about disability and neurodivergence which I looked for but never found.…

Guest posts from the amazing creatives, supported by our Young Artist Development Programme (YADP), continue, and this week’s spotlight is on Beth Greenwood. Over to you Beth.

Most often, the type of art that inspires me isn’t displayed in galleries or in a physical place.…